Comments on: Manhole Fires in Midtownhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/
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By: Steve Quinnhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-675645
Mon, 17 May 2010 13:14:44 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-675645I question the truth regarding Con Ed employees routinely drinking on or before shift. The company has rigorous drug and alcohol problems. Any crew mate that would work on high voltage gear with a team mate that is drunk is risking their lives and they know it. Con Ed works hard to keep the lights on and the people of New York safe. Con Ed is a treasure. Stop the absurdity.
]]>By: Adam Aronsonhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666841
Tue, 04 May 2010 17:22:59 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666841This happened outside of our apartment in Park Slope, Brooklyn, back in January. On a Sunday night around midnight there were two very loud sequential blasts, and looking out the window there was a column of flame out of one ConEd grate, and there was a plume of constant smoke like the YouTube video referenced above showed. Not a week later the same thing happened near Metrotech Brooklyn where some friends live: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2trss4asUFE

What causes this to happen?

]]>By: Sebastianhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666765
Tue, 04 May 2010 15:44:04 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666765http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CMCF8asZXkw
]]>By: grahamhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666707
Tue, 04 May 2010 14:43:42 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666707Drunk or sober, and I’m sure there are plenty of great people working at ConEd, the simple fact is that the infrastructure they’re dealing with is antiquated and incredibly poorly maintained. I assume there just isn’t the will to spend the money it would take to bring NYC up to anywhere close to what would be considered acceptable in any other large city in the developed world. Really, it’s that bad. Viewed from any European capital this is a shanty town.

Every summer there are explosions at the ConEd plant on 15th street. Somehow we just put up with that. There was a fuss when a woman was electrocuted, but nothing changed. We have hundred year old cables running underground in wooden boxes and paper lined with tar. About once a year there’s an underground fire on my avenue. After a particularly large explosion a few years back, outside a school, ConEd dug up the road and dropped in a large concrete tunnel. Asked what that was for they replied: “To contain the explosion next time.”

We don’t often get bombed — but manholes do have a nasty habit of blowing up — particularly after heavy rain storns.

The heavy runoff can short out high voltage lines – particularly if the insulation on the wires down there is going bad. Then it’s “boom” with a resulting nasty electrical fire – hence the smoke (and a really bad for you smell of buring insulation etc.).

The FD cannot really do much to fight these kinds of fires. Instead they seek to contain them and let the wires and insulation etc. burn off. The heat is really intense. The one that blew in my nabe was hot enough to buckle the asphalt.

After the sturm and drang it’s then up to ConEd (sober or drunk) to fix the mess – often while a lot of folks are sitting in the dark waiting for power to come back on….

]]>By: Nickhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666425
Tue, 04 May 2010 03:02:18 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666425I’m so glad I found this article! I heard 2 explosions last night over on 6th and 20th, but no one else heard anything. I thought we were being bombed!
]]>By: Jack Danielshttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666287
Tue, 04 May 2010 01:13:04 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666287“i dated a guy who worked for con-ed for like 5 years. mostly, they all get drunk before they go out on their shifts- in fact, they often drink during work (i mean plan on who’s bringing what liquor and everything). there would probably be fewer fires and explosions if they had employees who were at least sober at work.”

Hey, I am on the other side of the country, could you get me an application ?

]]>By: PleaseStopTheBaloneyhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666275
Tue, 04 May 2010 01:02:11 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-66627513,000 volt it should read.
]]>By: PleaseStopTheBaloneyhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666271
Tue, 04 May 2010 01:00:23 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666271I’ve had to work with ConEd workers many times and never saw any drunken behavior. Instead you should respect the work these manhole workers do, they work with HIGH voltage,13,000,000 volts or natural gas. Extremely dangerous. In terrible conditions water in hole, burnt cables, in the middle of the night. Just stop unjustified accusations about something you know nothing about. And no I’ve never worked for ConEd.
]]>By: harlemharanguehttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666043
Mon, 03 May 2010 20:57:47 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666043i dated a guy who worked for con-ed for like 5 years. mostly, they all get drunk before they go out on their shifts- in fact, they often drink during work (i mean plan on who’s bringing what liquor and everything). there would probably be fewer fires and explosions if they had employees who were at least sober at work.
]]>By: David L. Wyliehttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-666019
Mon, 03 May 2010 20:37:07 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-666019Let’s see how long it takesFaux News and its viewers to start blaming Obama. Wait for it. Wait for it. Here it comes…
]]>By: Cheri Hornhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-665913
Mon, 03 May 2010 19:16:24 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-665913I have to agree with the brave people trying to keep everyone safe from all that is happening….”it’s not Disneyland people , get the hell out of the way”…. If you have no respect for your own life and the danger we currently face , think again about the people brave enough to face them for us. Thank you Those who Protect !!!!! God Bless You!!
]]>By: Mark O. Hendersonhttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-665883
Mon, 03 May 2010 19:02:47 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-665883Sheril ck this out
]]>By: Harohttp://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/comment-page-1/#comment-665853
Mon, 03 May 2010 18:44:33 +0000http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/manhhole-fires-in-midtown/#comment-665853Thankfully I didn’t go buy notebooks at Muji as I had planned.
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